How a Real Pro Bends
by amull
Summary: While Tahno attempts to cope with the traumatic loss of his bending, he is forced into joining the equalists, and tries to find comfort from someone who was once an enemy. T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize definitely doesn't belong to me.**

He moved through the stances, one by one, like he had done every day of his life up until this point. The movements came easily; they felt natural and right, like embracing an old friend. He could feel his muscles stretch and work, groaning in happiness as he came to the end of the set. It was one of the first sets he had ever learned, one that his father had taught him when he was just a child.

He straightened his legs and dropped his arms, sadly looking toward the traitorous pail of water beside him. It wouldn't move.

He looked up, and addressed the man across the room, Sheng-Li, the best healer money could buy.

"Nothing."

"Come," Sheng-Li motioned toward a chair beside him, "sit."

Tahno crossed the room and sat. He watched as Sheng-Li manipulated the water from the pail across the room, changing its form and making it glow, turning it into healing water. Sheng-Li applied the water to Tahno's forehead, and Tahno felt a soothing cooling sensation, but not much else.

"Get up," Sheng-Li pushed Tahno out of his seat, "and try again."

Tahno stumbled to his feet, walked back over to the water, and moved through the stances again. Again, he failed to make so much as a wave in the water.

He looked up in desperation. "Please tell me there's something else you can do."

Sheng-Li shook his head sadly. "There's nothing more I can do for you. I don't know what that man did to you, but it seems to be irreversible. I'm so sorry."

Tahno groaned in exasperation, and kicked the pail of water. The water spilled all over the floor, soaking Tahno's shoes. _And I can't even bend it out, _he thought to himself as he stormed out of the office.

* * *

Tahno looked down at his feet. The floor of the Police Headquarters was shiny and polished, and he could see his own pitiful reflection in it. He could barely even recognize himself. His once handsome face was pale and sad-looking, he had bags under his eyes, and his usually beautiful hair hung lank and greasy. He didn't know who he was anymore, possibly because he was no longer anyone of worth, not without his bending.

He had been called in for questioning, just like everyone else who had been in the arena that day. He had known all along that the Chief of Police would want to speak with him, as one of the victim's of Amon's attack, and he had been dreading it. They would want him to recount the details of the attack, he knew, and he wasn't quite sure that was something he could do.

Suddenly, Tahno caught sight of another reflection in the polished floor; the reflection was of a young girl clad in fur, the traditional outfit of the Southern Water Tribe, the sister tribe to the place that Tahno's great-grandfather had once lived: the Northern Water Tribe. He had never been to the Southern Water Tribe himself, having been born and raised in Republic City, and he only knew one person who had been there.

Tahno looked up at the Avatar. "Hey, Korra."

He took in the Avatar's look of surprise, and the mixture of astonishment and pity in her voice as she said, "Tahno?" He averted his gaze. He couldn't do this. He was barely able to face his reflection in the floor, how would he be able to face those who had been there, those who had come out of it unscathed?

Korra sat on the bench beside Tahno. "Listen, I know we're not exactly best friends, but I'm sorry Amon took your bending."

He still couldn't look at her. He knew if he did, he would choke up and be unable to speak. The last thing he needed was for the Avatar, who had until very recently been his rival in the arena, to see him cry.

"I've been to the best healers in the city," he told her, his voice shaking, but his tear ducts thankfully not betraying him. Finally, he looked at Korra. "Whatever Amon did to me, it's permanent."

They were silent for a moment¸ the Avatar not knowing what to say, and Tahno simply not wanting to say anything at all. Until a thought struck him.

He turned to face her. "You've got to get him for me."

She nodded gravely, and Tahno knew Korra would do her best to keep her promise to him, no matter how much she may have hated him before. No bender could imagine living without their natural-born ability. Tahno was being forced to live every bender's worst fear.

Tahno was saved from talking about his condition any more to the Avatar by the appearance of Chief Beifong, Councilmen Tenzin, and Hiroshi Sato.

"If you remember anything else about what you saw during Amon's attack," the Chief said, "be sure to let us know."

"I'm happy to help any way I can," Mr. Sato replied, "I want these Equalists to pay for what they've done." He gave Korra a nod of recognition before leaving.

Councilmen Tenzin turned to Tahno. "We're ready for you now," Tenzin told Tahno, and he could feel his heart drop all the way to his feet. This wasn't going to be easy.

Tahno got up and turned to Korra. "See you around," he said, forcing a smile onto his face for appearance's sake, "Avatar."

He followed Councilmen Tenzin and Chief Beifong into the interrogation room. Chief Beifong motioned toward a chair, which Tahno sat in. Chief Beifong sat in a chair opposite him. Councilmen Tenzin closed the door behind him before sitting next to Chief Beifong.

"I know this may be difficult," Tenzin said, a look of deepest sympathy, which made Tahno want to vomit, on his face, "but could you tell us exactly what happened to you during Amon's attack?"

Tahno sighed heavily, but knew there was no way for him to get out of talking. "I…we had just won the match. All of a sudden Amon and his henchmen were in the arena, and I had to fight him off…but it didn't work. He put his thumb here," he put his index finger against the very center of his forehead, "and my bending was gone. He started going on and on about oppression against non-benders, and how awful me and my teammates are. Then his henchmen pushed us into the drain, where someone found us later on." He looked at Tenzin and Chief Beifong's grave faces. "That's all I can remember."

"Thank you," Chief Beifong said.

Tahno pushed out his chair and began to rise, but Chief Beifong put out her hand to stop him. "Wait. We have a…" she and Tenzin exchanged a look before she continued, "request."

Tahno knit his eyebrows together in confusion. What could they possibly want from him? He was useless. Amon had taken away everything Tahno had ever had; his bending, his career, his confidence. He had nothing left to give.

"We had an idea," Tenzin explained vaguely, "but we haven't been able to act on it…we couldn't ask just anyone, because you never know where a person's loyalties lie…"

"I'm sorry, but do you have a point?"

"We need a spy," Chief Beifong explained bluntly, her expression remaining the same, as if she had just asked Tahno to pass her a glass of water.

He blanched. "You want me to be a spy?"

"You're the perfect candidate. We know we can trust you, and you can feed Amon some cockamouse-and-bullgator story about how you've seen the light. We need to know what he's planning. We need to get ahead of him for once, and the only way we can do that is if we send someone from our team across enemy lines. I can't ask my men to give up their bending…" she trailed off, aware that she had hit a soft spot.

Tahno simply gaped at them. He couldn't be a spy. What if they found him out? He wouldn't be able to defend himself without his bending. He could picture Amon coming after him, and the image of that mask sent a shiver down Tahno's spine.

"No. I'm sorry, but I'm not the right man for the job."

"Just think about it," Tenzin told him calmly, "And let us know what you decide."

The Councilman and the Chief left their seats. Tahno pushed out his chair, and got up as well. Chief Beifong held the door open as Tahno stepped back out into the lobby before following him. He shook both of their hands before turning his back to them, and walking as fast as he could out of the Police Headquarters, ignoring Avatar Korra as she called out to him, "How did it go?"

There was no way he was going to spy for them. He would take a week and pretend to think about it, but there was absolutely no chance that Tahno was ever going to change his answer.

**A/N: Hello! Thanks for reading the first chapter of my story! I'm sorry if the writing was a little shoddy; I haven't done any creative writing in wayyy too long, so I'm a little rusty. My goal for the summer is to force myself to write, anything I can think of, so it should get better with time. I have two warnings about this story: 1. After the next chapter, I have literally no idea where I'm going with this. But, as per my summer goal, I'm going to continue on with it no matter what. So I will figure something out, it might just take me longer to update because I need to mull things over. 2. I don't write happy endings. I don't like them. Life doesn't have perfect, happy, everything ties together nicely endings. It isn't realistic. I'm not saying the ending to this is going to be horribly depressing, because it probably won't be, but if you're looking for something that's gonna have a perfect little ending, this story isn't going to be it.**

**Sorry for the long note, I just figured I should warn you! Review if you liked it, or even if you hated it; I can always use tips on how to improve. Also, anyone who can tell me where the How I Met Your Mother reference is hidden in here will get a shout-out in the next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: If it looks familiar, I don't own it.**

_He struggled against the constraint of the two men holding his arms. He didn't understand. Only seconds ago he had been fighting, and now he was on his knees, begging for his life._

_ It wasn't fair. He had won the championship, again, and for a few seconds he had been on top. He had beaten the Avatar and her stupid little poor friends. It was fake, it had to be. This guy couldn't take people's bending away, it just wasn't possible._

_ He looked into the face—not the face, the mask—of Amon, pleading, begging him not to do anything to him. The faceless man reached out to touch him…_

A scream rang out in the silence of the night. Tahno shot up in his bed, throwing his covers away from him. He looked out into the darkness, but all he could see around him was the mask; the pattern, the big red circle, and, worst of all, the eyes. They stared at him in triumph, just as they had done that day.

He bent his knees and hugged them, hiding his face from the mask in the darkness. He hadn't been able to sleep for days; the image of Amon haunted him every night. He knew he had nothing to be afraid of anymore; Amon had gotten what he wanted from Tahno, there was nothing left to fear. And yet he still did fear the man who had taken away what had made him _Tahno._

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, and picked a dirty shirt up off the floor. He threw it on as he left the room.

"I can't be here anymore," he said to the empty room.

* * *

Tahno wandered aimlessly. He had literally no idea where he was going, or what he was looking for. But he kept walking anyway. _I'll know it when I find it._

One thing he hadn't been expecting, though, was the scenery. He had had no idea that Air Temple Island could be so beautiful. Tahno had lived in Republic City all his life, and never once had he come to Air Temple Island. It had always seemed sort of forbidden; it had been created solely for the last airbenders, the only four airbenders in existence.

When he was a child, Tahno had believed that only someone really important could step foot on Air Temple Island. He certainly wasn't anyone important, especially not anymore. But what better time to be somewhere you aren't supposed to be than the middle of the night, when everyone would be asleep?

What was he expecting to find here? Answers? Nobody would have answers for him, not even all the "important people" who lived on the Island. There was only one person in history that had been through what Tahno was experiencing, but Fire Lord Ozai had died a long time ago. There was no one to help him.

Tahno could hear a creaking in the distance. He decided to follow the sound, even though his newfound fear of everything that went bump in the night urged him to run in the opposite direction. He felt oddly safe on Air Temple Island though, which was something he hadn't felt since his bending had been taken.

He came upon some sort of contraption, made up of numerous wooden boards that spun every which way, creaking loudly as they did so. As he came closer, he realized that there was a person spinning within the contraption. A person in blue.

He knew that he should've left, that his presence there, watching her, would be seen as strange. But her movements were so fluid, so natural. He was mesmerized.

She came to the end, and jumped out of the contraption, which continued to spin even in her absence. She breathed heavily, and wiped sweat from her brow. Tahno took a few steps backward, as silently as he could, before she could see him, but he was too late.

"Tahno?" Korra brushed a few stray stands of hair out of her eyes, her forehead scrunched up in confusion.

"I don't know why I'm here," Tahno preemptively explained, as he saw the question beginning to form on her lips.

She nodded, as if Tahno being there were commonplace, something that happened all the time. She sat on the ground, still trying to catch her breath, and Tahno sat beside her. She said nothing more, and the silence made Tahno feel uncomfortable, it reminded him of the empty room he had come here to escape.

He nodded toward the contraption, which was still spinning slowly, though gradually losing momentum. "What is that thing?"

"Airbending gates," she explained. "It's supposed to teach airbenders to be light on their feet, and flow…like a leaf."

Tahno raised his eyebrows, but Korra merely shrugged. "So…training is going well?"

Korra gave a short, derisive laugh. "No. I can't even so much as rustle up those leaves."

"But it was spinning…"

"I just sit and wait for a gust of wind to make the gates spin." She put her head on her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs, curling up into a ball. "I'm pathetic."

He didn't know why, because even though she couldn't bend air, she at least knew that she was _capable_ of bending, but Tahno felt like he should say something to comfort Korra. He wasn't the sort of person, though, who generally comforted other people. He didn't know what to say, he would probably just end up making it worse.

"I see him in my dreams," he blurted, and the second the words left his mouth, he wished that he could take them back. He wasn't the kind of person that shared personal information with people. But when Korra raised her head and looked at him with her eyebrows knit close together, he was forced to elaborate. "Amon."

Korra nodded. "So do I." Tahno raised his eyebrows in surprise. Korra pushed her hair out of her face before going on. "I just don't know what to do," she said, her voice hushed and colored with fear, "He's too powerful. Every move I make, he's one step ahead. I'm the Avatar, for Spirit's sake," she threw her arms in the air, raising her voice, "I'm supposed to save everyone."

"That sucks," Tahno said simply. He got the feeling that Korra hadn't spoken of this fear to anyone before, which surprised him; he would've thought that she would've talked about it with Tenzin, or one of the other Fire Ferrets. She wasn't like him; she had people who cared about her.

"Yeah, it does."

"We're kind of a mess, aren't we?"

Korra looked over to him and smiled. "Yeah. I guess we are."

**A/N: There's chapter two! I know, you're all so surprised by the Tahno/Korra development. Don't get too cozy, though, I'll be shaking things up soon enough! Feel free to review! Thanks for reading! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: the only thing I own is the plot.**

"I brought the stuff." Tahno held up a white paper bag, the trademark smirk on his face. Korra turned around as he made his presence known, her eyes lighting up as she broke into a huge smile at the bag in Tahno's hand.

She shot up quickly, running over and grabbing the bag out of Tahno's hand. "Yes, meat!" she yelled in pleasure, ripping open the bag and taking a bite of the food Tahno had brought.

His smirk quickly changed to a pout. "No appreciation."

Korra rolled her eyes as she took another bite of her meat. "Thanks, Tahno" she said sarcastically, her mouth still full of food.

Tahno rolled his eyes. "Disgusting," he said.

Korra grinned. "Thanks." She reached into the bag and pulled out another piece of meat, this time holding it out to the giant polar bear-dog lying on the ground. "Here, Naga. Remember meat?" The polar bear-dog sniffed the meat before taking it from Korra's hand. "Just don't tell Tenzin," Korra warned her pet as she sat down, leaning her back against Naga's body.

Tahno eyed Naga suspiciously, keeping his distance. "What's that _thing _doing here?"

"Hey, be nice to Naga," she said, patting Naga's soft fur absentmindedly, "You're just mad she made you scream like a girl that one time."

"I didn't scream like a girl."

"You so did."

Tahno didn't respond. He _had_ sort of screamed like a girl, but he wasn't about to admit that he'd lost his cool. Korra smirked at him, and raised her eyebrows. "Are you going to sit?"

"Not near that thing."

"Oh come on. I promise she won't hurt you. Not unless I tell her to, anyway."

Tahno slowly inched closer, still weary of the menacing animal. "You wouldn't."

"I might."

"But then you wouldn't have anyone to keep you company in your insomnia."

Naga started to growl when Tahno came too close, and he jumped back in fear. Korra laughed at him as he tried to regain his composure, patting Naga soothingly.

"Relax Naga. We like him now."

Naga looked at Korra, then back at Tahno, and her growling ceased. Tahno took this as a sign to move ahead, muttering "stupid giant dogs, trying to kill me," under his breath. When he was within arm's length of the polar bear-dog, he reached out to touch it. She began to softly growl again, but with another reassuring pat from Korra, she allowed Tahno to touch her. He ran his fingers through her soft white fur once before quickly snatching his hand back. He sat on the ground slightly away from Korra and the polar bear-dog, still eyeing her suspiciously. Korra rolled her eyes and smirked, amused by his fear.

"You're pathetic."

"Shut up."

Korra smirked again. She reached her hand into the paper bag and pouted when it returned to the surface, empty. She crumpled the bag up into a little ball, threw it up in the air, and bent fire at it, eliminating the evidence as it turned to ashes.

She licked each of her fingers, savoring any lingering taste of meat. "How's the job hunt going?" she asked between fingers.

Tahno sighed heavily, leaning back on his elbows and stretching his legs out in front of him. "Awful. I guess I never realized how few job opportunities there are for…" He trailed off, not wanting to say the word that hung in the air between them: _nonbenders._

Korra raised her eyebrows at him, but said nothing as she folded her arms over her chest. That's what Tahno liked about Korra; she didn't feel the need to fill the silence with empty words, and she didn't try to console him. She knew just as well as he did that it _wouldn't_ get easier for him, and he appreciated that she didn't lie to him, like everyone else had done.

"What about the championship pot?"

"It's almost gone."

Korra gaped open-mouthed at him. "You spent all that money already?"

"Getting healers to try to unblock your chi isn't exactly cheap. And I have to pay rent and bills. I don't get a free ride, like you do. I have to take care of myself." Korra had the good grace to look slightly guilty, instead of retorting. Tahno covered his face with his hands. "I don't know what to do."

Suddenly, he snapped his head up. He had an idea.

* * *

Tahno's shoes made a _clacking_ sound against the highly polished floor of the Police Headquarters as he strode toward the front desk.

"I need to see Chief Beifong," he told one of the officers behind the desk.

"Do you have an appointment?"

Tahno rolled his eyes. "No."

"Then you can't see the Chief."

"Can you just tell her Tahno is here to see her?"

The officer huffed, but he turned on his heel and left, returning a few moments later with the Chief of Police in tow.

"Come with me," she said, without so much as a greeting. She led Tahno to a set of mahogany doors, which, when opened, revealed a large office, decorated mostly in greens and browns, with a large banner of a winged boar above the desk.

"Sit," Chief Beifong instructed, and Tahno did as he was told. "I assume you're here about our offer," she said as she sat down on the opposite side of the large oak desk. "Have you made a decision?"

"This spy thing," Tahno said, trying his best to appear nonchalant, while on the inside experiencing a strange mixture of fear and anticipation, "does it pay?"

Chief Beifong raised one of her eyebrows, and said, "It does."

Tahno flashed the Chief his winning smile. "Then I'm in."

**A/N: Hey there! This is like the fastest I've ever updated, but I just really can't get Tahno out of my head. So as long as I can organize my thoughts, you should expect pretty quick updates! :) Also, when I started writing this chapter I had some concerns about Tahno being OOC, since I've been reading a lot of fics about him, but personally I just think, based on what we saw in episode 7, he probably would've lost his fire after getting his bending taken away. I feel like I redeemed myself a little with his greediness at the end. But let me know what you think in the reviews! Some interesting stuff should be coming up soon, now that Tahno is officially an "equalist." Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Only the plot (and the drunk girl) belong to me.**

"Do you feel better?" The girl, he thought her name was Ishi, or maybe Ima (definitely something with an I), asked, smiling lazily up at him, her chin resting on his chest.

Tahno forced himself to look down at her and smile. "Yeah, loads better." The sarcasm dripped from his voice, but the girl didn't notice.

"That's good," she yawned, resting her head against Tahno's bare chest. He rolled his eyes. They were all the same. When he told the girls, and there were many, the sob story about losing his bending, they wanted to comfort him, to make him _feel _better. Or so they told themselves in order to get through the next day.

He had thought, in the beginning, that picking up women would be a lot more difficult; he used to use his status as a champion pro-bender to get women into bed, and when his bending was gone, he thought the women wouldn't want anything to do with him. He had underestimated the maternal impulse in women that made them want to take care of someone who was broken, that made them want to pick up the pieces of his shattered life.

For some reason, though, Tahno wasn't happy. He didn't feel triumphant, or fulfilled, like he used to after a night with a women. He still felt just as empty as he did during the day.

Which was why, when he heard the girl's breathing become slow and even, he moved her arm, which had been draped over his chest, and crawled out of bed. He struggled to find his clothing on the floor in the dark, but managed not to miss anything. He pulled on his clothing and quietly exited her apartment. He doubted that Ishi, or Ima, or whatever her name was, would mind; if past experience was any indication, she would be grateful that she didn't have to face her drunken decision in the morning.

* * *

He found Korra in front of the airbending gates, as usual. Tonight, though, she was on her feet, her body moving through several different poses; _airbending stances, _Tahno realized as he watched her fluid movements. She moved with grace, something Tahno wouldn't have thought the strong young Avatar to be capable of. No matter how graceful her movements, though, throughout the entire set of motions not even one wisp of air was manipulated by the Avatar's gentle hands.

She broke form and forcefully pushed her arms away from herself, grunting in exasperation as she did so. Still no air formed at her fingertips. She dropped her arms and lifted her head toward the sky, a gust of fire escaping her lips as she yelled at the stars.

Tahno shook his head. "You give up too easily."

Korra whipped around furiously, unsurprised at Tahno's sudden appearance. She came toward him defensively, gesturing agitatedly as she yelled at him. "I've been practicing and practicing, but I can't produce even the tiniest puff of air! Tenzin keeps telling me to be patient, but I'm not patient! I'm the opposite of what an airbender is supposed to be!" She brought her hand up to her face absentmindedly, and she seemed to slump before Tahno's eyes. "I'm the opposite of what an Avatar is supposed to be."

Tahno reached out and grabbed Korra's wrist, dragging her behind him. "Come with me."

"Where are you taking me?"

Tahno didn't respond. He kept his tight hold on Korra's wrist as he dragged her to the edge of the Island, toward Yue Bay. When they were close enough to the water, Tahno dropped Korra's wrist. He folded his arms over his chest, and looked her square in the eyes.

"Bend."

Korra scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion. "What…"

"Bend the water," Tahno commanded.

With a huff that blew her already messy hair in every direction, Korra widened her stance and moved her arms up. With the movement of her arms, the water from the bay rose, and when her arms stopped, so did the water.

"What do you feel?" Tahno asked her.

Lines formed on Korra's forehead as her expression of confusion deepened. "I don't know…I feel water."

"Exactly." Tahno too widened his stance, and he began to go through the movements of the most advanced set of waterbending forms. Unlike most pro-benders, Tahno had started his training by learning the traditional waterbending forms; his father had been nothing if not traditional. Korra soon followed Tahno's lead, matching his body in the movements, the only difference being that as Korra moved, so did the water.

"I used to be able to feel the water," Tahno explained as he moved through the rigorous movements, sweat beading on his forehead, "as if it were flowing through me. I could sense even the tiniest droplet of water in any area. It made me feel strong, and safe. It gave me power, and I could feel that power in my veins."

They both held the last form, the water hovering above their heads like a cloud. Tahno was the first one to break from the stance. He stood up straight and wiped the sweat from his brow. "I used to be able to feel the water, but now I can't feel anything at all."

Korra let the water splash down to the ground, getting both of their feet and the bottom of their pants wet. "Tahno…" She reached out toward him, but he moved away. He didn't need another woman feeling sorry for him.

"You can't bend the air because you can't feel it," he told her as she let her arm drop back down to her side.

Korra searched Tahno's face for a long time, an unreadable expression on her own. Finally, she said, "It's not that easy."

Tahno smirked at her, just the way he knew she hated. "I know. But you're the Avatar. You've figured it out before, and you'll figure it out again."

He sat down at the edge of the bay. He rolled up his pants, and stuck his feet into the water. It was ice-cold, but he didn't care; it just felt good to be one with the water again.

Korra sat down beside him and followed suit. She winced as her skin touched the icy water, but she stuck her feet in anyway, without using her bending to make it warmer, and Tahno knew that she did it so he wouldn't feel alone. He felt oddly comforted by the sentiment; he had nearly forgotten what it felt like to have a friend.

* * *

Tahno fidgeted in his seat. He was beginning to regret his decision to join the equalists, even if it was impossible for him to find work elsewhere. How could he work for the man who had taken his bending away? A shiver ran down his spine as he imagined Amon's hand coming toward him again, and he shook his head to try to make the image disappear.

Chief Beifong slid a piece of paper across the table to him. "There's an equalist recruitment tomorrow night," Beifong explained, as Tahno examined the paper she had given him. It was a propaganda flyer for Amon, one of thousands that could be found throughout the city, but on the back there was a strange design, one that he couldn't quite make out. "The address is on the back of the flyer, and they'll probably ask for it when you get there, so bring it with you."

"You'll most likely be presented directly to Amon, once they figure out who you are," Tenzin told Tahno, his voice just as calm as ever. "You're going to have to make up a reason for joining the equalists." Tenzin thought for a moment, stroking his beard in concentration. "You could tell them you've seen the light."

"They may not believe you, but they won't kill you; it would look bad for their cause. And you have nothing left for them to take from you," Beifong said bluntly.

"What Chief Beifong is trying to say," Tenzin cut in, "is that you won't be harmed. You have nothing to be afraid of."

Tahno rubbed his hands on his thighs, wiping the excess sweat from his palms. That was easy for Tenzin to say; he had never faced Amon, he didn't have to see the mask every time he shut his eyes. The idea that he might have to come face-to-face with that man again made Tahno's unkempt hair curl, but he knew he couldn't change his mind now. He wasn't the sort of man who would back down from a fight. He would cheat, bribe and lie his way through, but he wouldn't back down.

"You'll report back to us after the rally, and we'll give you further instructions."

"Right," Tahno said, pushing his chair away from the table.

"Good luck," Tenzin said, also pushing out his chair and standing up.

"Thanks," Tahno mumbled. _I'm going to need it,_ he thought, leaving the Chief and the Councilman behind.

**A/N: We officially get to see Tahno as an equalist in the next chapter! I haven't really worked out exactly what's gonna go down, but it'll be good, I promise! Reviews are always lovely :) Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it**

Tahno's heart pounded against his chest. He gripped the flyer in his hand so tightly it was nearly crumpled into a ball. It was an effort to keep putting one foot in front of the other, to keep moving toward the equalist rally.

He was surprised to see that they alley was clear; he had expected there to be dozens of non-benders clamoring to join the equalists. He had assumed that every non-bender would want to join Amon and fight against the injustices done to them. Maybe he was wrong, or maybe the others were just too scared to show up.

With every step that he took, the feeling of unease rose within him. He had to fight against the thought that he shouldn't be here, that he wasn't one of them, because he was. Amon had made sure of that.

Tahno came to a halt. A large, forbidding man stood before him, with hard eyes filled with distrust. Tahno fought the urge to run away as fast as he could; he had a job to do, and he was going to see it through.

"Invitation?"

Tahno handed over the flyer, smiling sheepishly at the crumpled state it was in. The doorman narrowed his eyes at Tahno, whose smile turned into a grimace of fear, before looking down to the paper.

Panic flooded through Tahno's veins as the doorman scrutinized the flyer. Was that not the invitation? What would that man do to him if it wasn't? Tahno had no idea how to defend himself without bending. He would be worse than useless in a fight against a man whose muscles were twice the size of Tahno's entire body. He tensed, and he could feel his palms beginning to sweat. If anything, he would run. He was fast; he was sure he could outrun this guy if it came down to it.

The doorman looked up and smiled warmly, taking Tahno off guard. "Welcome, brother," he said, moving out of the way so Tahno could get through the door.

It took him a few seconds to realize that he wasn't going to have to fight; everything was going just as planned.

"Thanks…brother." Tahno attempted to return the smile, but was sure that he just ended up looking slightly insane as he brushed past the doorman and into the rally.

The room was smaller than Tahno had imagined it, and there were a lot less people than he had expected. He silently cursed himself for becoming a pro-bending champion; he was sure to be recognized without the luxury of crowd cover, and he still wasn't exactly sure what he would say his motives for joining the equalists were. He cursed himself again for not coming up with a plan beforehand, but didn't have time to dwell on it. As more non-benders filed into the room, Tahno found himself being pushed one way or the other as people tried to find a spot to stand.

Eventually the crowd settled. There was nothing left to do but wait for the rally to begin. Tahno looked around the room, taking in all the non-benders who wanted to get even with the benders. It seemed crazy to him that he should be there with them; only a few weeks ago, he had been one of the people who were supposedly oppressing these people, and now here he was, joining them. He had had plans and goals for his life, but none of them had involved this.

He scanned the room again, taking in the people themselves. They were just ordinary people. He had half expected the prospective equalists to be some sort of angry, menacing mob, but they all seemed just as apprehensive as he felt. Somehow, that made him feel less alone.

"Brothers and sisters," Tahno was wrenched away from his thoughts by a man at the head of the room. He wore the equalist outfit, but didn't cover his face. The man was young, but his eyes sparkled not with youth, but excitement; the equalist guise made him feel strong, probably for the first time in his life, and he was eager to prove himself. Tahno could understand the feeling; he would give anything to feel strong again.

"Welcome," the man continued, smiling at his audience, a smile that made Tahno feel somewhat less than welcomed, "and thank you for your interest in joining the equalists. As the revolution progresses we are always in need of more equalists, and we accept the help of anyone sympathetic to our cause."

Tahno fought the urge to roll his eyes. _This guy is laying it on a little thick,_ he thought to himself. "Our first step," the man continued, "is to teach you all how to block a person's chi. This is the most basic, and one of the most effective, styles of fighting to use against a bender.

"After you learn chi-blocking, some of you will leave us. Others will join our team of chi-blockers. Still others will be given other forms of weaponry, and will be sent higher in the ranks. Every person here is essential to the equalist revolution, no matter where they end up."

The man paused and scanned the room with narrowed eyes, as if he didn't actually believe that anyone in the room was of any worth. "First things first," he said, "I need you all to split into groups of ten." There was a great deal of shuffling around the room as each person tried to form a group. Tahno moved his feet aimlessly, not knowing what to do in all the confusion. "This will be the group of people you learn chi-blocking with," the man yelled over all the scuffle, "Each group will get a date, a time, and a place to meet. My name is Haro, and I will be teaching the chi-blocking lessons. After your group receives its times, you are free to go."

Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed Tahno's sleeve, pulling him into a group of people. "There, that's ten," said a feminine voice as the hand released its grip from Tahno's sleeve. The hand belonged to a tall, slender woman, who wiped a few stray strands of her short, cropped dark hair out of her face. When she looked into Tahno's face, her own expression turned to a scowl, her bronze eyes narrowing at him. She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off when Haro joined the group.

"You guys are going to meet tomorrow at eleven, in the old Cabbage Corp warehouse by the park." Several group members nodded and turned to leave after Haro went on to the next group.

Tahno left as fast as he could, leaving the woman and her suspicious eyes behind him. He pushed past the groups still waiting to hear the date of their chi-blocking lessons, past the doorman, and into the cool, quiet alley. The cold air was welcome to him, and he breathed it in, thankful for the open space after being confined in that room. It hadn't been as bad as he was expecting, no one had even noticed him besides that woman, but he had still been terrified, even though he had nothing left to lose.

Tahno walked briskly down the alley, making his way back to the open street. He could hear others behind him, but he didn't turn around; he wanted to get away as fast as possible, to somewhere he felt less exposed, less unsafe.

"Hey," a voice called out behind him: the voice of the woman from the rally. Tahno whipped around, his eyes wide, and his heart began to beat a rapid rhythm against his chest.

The woman stopped in front of him, her eyes narrow and hard. She seemed breathless, as if she had been trying to catch up with him for a long time. "I know who you are," she said.

Tahno's hand instinctively ran through his hair, like it did every time he was nervous, which had been a lot, recently. His eyes darted back and forth, looking down the alley for something to get him out of this situation, even though he knew there was nothing.

"Uh…" he paused, completely unaware of what to say, or how to talk himself out of this situation; before, he had been great at using his words to manipulate others, and to get exactly what he wanted. Now though, he could hardly find the right words to describe the simplest of things. His self-confidence had been taken along with his bending, and it was about to get him in trouble.

The woman saved him from tripping over his words. "You're Tahno of the Wolf-Bats. Amon took your bending."

Tahno's heart pounded so hard against his chest, he was surprised it didn't burst. He tried to look anywhere but at the woman's eyes, which looked at him with such intensity he half expected to burst into flame at any moment.

"What was it like?" she nearly whispered, and her voice was colored not with bitterness or anger, but with awe. "Was it liberating?"

"Uh, yeah…I guess."

Suddenly she was smiling, gesturing wildly as she talked. Tahno's heart continued to pound, adrenaline still pumping through his veins, making it nearly impossible for him to concentrate on her quick words. "I think it's so great that you decided to join the equalists. I know it's really hard for a lot of benders to understand where we non-benders are coming from, but now that you're one of us, you could be such a great asset."

Tahno stared, open-mouthed, at a loss for words as the woman in front of him gushed animatedly, smiling widely. She stuck out her hand, and Tahno took hold of it apprehensively. "You're an inspiration, really," she said as they shook hands.

"Thanks," he replied half-heartedly, and the woman's smile faltered.

"I'm sorry, I'm acting like such an idiot," she said, running her fingers through her hair, "but most benders aren't on our side. It's just nice to see that Amon was able to convert one."

"I'm not a bender," Tahno mumbled, but this just made the woman smile even wider.

"Of course not, I'm sorry." She apologized as if being referred to as a bender had been insulting for him, when in actuality, it just hurt. "I'm Asa, by the way."

Tahno rubbed the back of his neck, perplexed. The last time a girl had acted this way toward him, he had been a champion pro-bender, with perfectly styled hair, clothes from the most expensive boutiques in Republic City and a winner's attitude; now he was just a mess, inside and out. "Nice to meet you," he told her, and it was. She reminded him of the person he used to be, even though she only liked the mess that he had become.

"I'll see you tomorrow, I guess," she said, and she walked away from Tahno, toward the street.

He watched her go, still bewildered. Asa disappeared around the corner, and he thought to himself, _what the hell just happened?_

**A/N: I meant to update this a lot sooner, but this chapter got me all jammed up. I really wasn't sure how it should have played out, and this isn't my best work, but I couldn't dwell on it any more. I did, however, have an epiphany while writing this chapter about something that will happen at the end of the story, so that's a plus lol. I have the feeling I'm going to have a similar problem with the next chapter, since I know literally nothing about chi, and even though I plan on looking it up, I know I'm still gonna be nervous about using it. Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you'll leave a review for me to let me know how I'm doing :)**


	6. Chapter 6

_He hadn't expected this._

_She pressed her mouth earnestly against his, peppering his lips with hurried kisses. She was eager, but that didn't surprise him; she hadn't exactly been subtle about her attraction to him. She had been by his side every step of the way, urging him forward when he wanted to run away screaming._

_He hated her. She loved him for a role that he played, a role that he wanted nothing more than to leave behind. She didn't know him. She wanted him to be the face of the revolution, to fuel the cause and give the equalists a leg to stand on. He hated her. And yet he returned her kisses. He ran his fingers through her short, soft hair. He let her fingers trail down his chest, and lift the shirt up over his head._

_He had let her turn him into a figurehead._

* * *

Asa smiled warmly at Tahno as he roughly plunged his fingers into the dummy's pressure points. He could feel a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. He moved quickly, with the speed of a pro-bender. Today, though, he was playing a different game.

He wiped the sweat away from his face with the back of his hand. "Was that good?"

Asa's face broke into a wide smile. "It was perfect! You hit every mark! Now let me try."

They switched places. Asa took her place before the dummy, and her body instantly tensed. She reached her arms out to hit the marks, which, on a real opponent, would block a person's chi. She was sloppy; she missed nearly every mark. She wouldn't stand a chance against a bending opponent.

"Stop." She looked over to him, confusion flooding her features. "You need to be light on your feet. The point is to be faster than the bender. The way you move you'd just be a sitting turtle-duck."

She blew her hair out of her face in frustration. "Why can't I get it? You got it so easily!"

Tahno opened his mouth to reassure her, but he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Haro, their chi-blocking teacher, smiling at them.

"How are we doing over here?"

"Well, I'm not doing that great," Asa told him, and Haro smiled sympathetically.

"Nobody expects you to get it on your first try. After a few lessons, you'll be able to get it."

"He does it perfectly," she smiled affectionately toward Tahno, who grimaced in return. The last thing he needed was to be noticed by the superiors.

"Really?" Haro raised his eyebrows, in clear disbelief of Asa's statement. "Let's see it."

Tahno and Asa traded places yet again. Tahno stayed light on his feet and quickly traced the pattern of they had been taught. First you take out the arms, so the bender can't use them to manipulate their element. Then you take out the legs, to stop the bender from running. He added in the core for good measure; taking out the core was effective in taking a bender down when the legs weren't easily accessible.

He took a sick pleasure in being the best in the class. He was a former bender; he was used to quickly learning new forms and methods of fighting. It was in his blood.

Or, it had been.

"Wow," Haro's eyebrows were raised in shock, and Tahno couldn't help a small smile of satisfaction. His eyes met Asa's, who was beaming. "I'm impressed. Of course, you wouldn't be as good against a moving target."

Tahno's smile grew wider. He was a four time pro-bending champion; he knew when he was being challenged, and he wasn't one to back down from a fight.

"Let's find out."

Haro smiled condescendingly as Asa moved the dummy out of the way. Tahno and Haro faced each other, circling. Tahno wouldn't make the first move; he would wait and block whatever Haro threw at him.

Haro reached out, trying to pinpoint one of his energy points. Haro was sneaky; he moved fast, and used far more advanced techniques than Tahno had yet been taught, but Tahno was ready. He had been a pro-bender, he knew how to calculate the attacks of an opponent, and how to retaliate.

Tahno blocked Haro's first advance, and continued to block every advance after that without making any moves of his own. To the rest of the class, who all watched in awe, the two men looked like a blur, but every move was vivid in Tahno's mind. He stayed on the defensive until he saw an opening; Haro's footing was unstable. Tahno grinned as he stuck his own foot out. As Haro stumbled, Tahno reached out and quickly jabbed at each of the energy points he had been taught to target. Haro fell instantly.

The room around him was silent. The other non-benders watched in awe and amazement; by the looks of their shocked faces, Tahno could tell that they struggled to accept that the man who was supposed to be teaching them had been taken down by one of his students.

"That was amazing!" Asa flung her arms around Tahno's neck, and he let himself be hugged for a moment.

He looked down at Haro's motionless form. "Guess you were wrong," he said triumphantly, adrenaline pumping through his veins. It felt like a victory, as if he were standing in the arena being handed a trophy again. Tahno grinned; it felt good to be on top again, even if it wasn't the same game he was used to playing.

"That was…pretty good," Haro conceded. "What's your name again?"

"Tahno."

"Tahno…why does that sound familiar?"

His eyes widened. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to stay under the radar, unnoticed by anyone in a position of power. His eyes met Asa's again. He couldn't lie; there was already one person who knew the truth.

"I…used to play for the Wolf-Bats. Amon took my bending during the championship tournament."

Haro's eyes, the only part of his body that hadn't felt the effects of Tahno's chi-blocking, widened in shock. "You're a bender?"

"No," Tahno said defensively, "I'm not."

"Either way," Haro said, "I'll have to talk to my superior about you. He'll want to know what happened here today."

He felt Asa's hand on his arm. She beamed up at him. He smiled weakly back at her.

_What did I do?_ He thought to himself.

* * *

"I can't do this anymore."

The metal glove hit the table with a loud _clunk_ as Tahno threw it away from himself. Tenzin and Chief Beifong eyed the contraption, but neither reached out to touch it. They were as repelled by the equalist weapon as Tahno had been.

"You can't quit now," Beifong told him, her voice, as always, full of confidence and determination, "You've been even more useful than we'd anticipated. We need your information."

"They gave me a weapon. They want me to _hurt people._ They want me to help them capture benders so Amon can do to them what he did to me."

The Chief said nothing, she merely stared at Tahno with disinterested eyes. Tahno looked to Tenzin for support, but he too kept his mouth shut, though his eyes shifted in uncertainty.

Tahno looked directly at the Councilman, who had averted his gaze, as he said, "I won't do it."

"Yes you will."

The Chief placed a stack of Yuans on the table between them, sliding it over so that it was directly in front of Tahno. He didn't know the exact amount, but he knew that it was much more money than he had originally been offered.

"For the greater good." Tahno met Beifong's eyes. They held no judgment, but he knew the meaning behind her words. It had always been this way, for him; he couldn't even remember the last time he had done something for anyone other than himself. He didn't want to do what he was being asked to do; he would do it, though, but only because _he _needed the money, not because Republic City needed him.

He was disgusted in himself.

"Fine." Tahno pocketed the dirty money, and picked the equalist weapon up off the table. His eyes met Beifong's once more as he slipped the metal glove onto his hand. Beifong's face remained blank, but he could swear he saw the corner of her mouth twitch, as if trying to suppress a satisfied smirk.

* * *

The air rang out with the sounds of the scuffle; yelling and grunting as the people involved took a hit, the buzzing sound of electricity as the equalists used their weapons to take out the benders, followed by the _thunk_ signaling a bender's fall. Every time he heard a body fall to the ground, Tahno could feel bile rise up in his throat, but he swallowed it down; he had to keep going.

He had already taken down more benders than any of the equalists had. _They're criminals, _he had to keep reminding himself, _They're only hurting others._ He knew the truth, though. Because of him, those people were going to be stripped of their identities, just like he had been.

At home, the money Chief Beifong had offered to entice him sat in the back of his sock drawer. He didn't want to look at it, much less use it.

Tahno stuck out his leg to catch one of the benders, and the man tumbled down to the ground. He flexed his gloved hand, and the weapon glowed with blue electricity. Tahno had been a waterbender; he was used to the easy flow, the healing coolness of the water. The electricity in his hand was heavy and wrong. Still, he reached out toward the bender in order to subdue him so that he could be transported to Amon for "cleansing."

The bender looked up, and his eyes shined with frenzied panic. He knew what was going to happen to him, and he knew there was no way out of it. Tahno froze. He understood what was going on in this man's mind. Unlike Tahno, though, the man didn't plead; he was braver than Tahno.

Tahno looked up. Every other equalist was preoccupied with an opponent. He met the man's eyes once more, bringing his face as close to the bender's as he could.

"Run."

The bender didn't need to be told twice. He was gone in an instant, before Tahno even had time to release the energy from his glove. He took one more quick sweep of the fight to ensure that no one had seen before moving to help his fellow equalists finish off the last of the benders.

* * *

"Good work out there." Tahno removed his constricting mask, breathing in the fresh air heavily. He tried his best to ignore the sound of the benders being thrown into the back of a truck as the Lieutenant placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks."

"You move quickly; you'll make a great addition to the equalists."

Another equalist came to them, pulling of the mask to reveal Asa. She gave Tahno a small smile before addressing the Lieutenant.

"They're all loaded."

"Good. Send them away."

Asa motioned toward an equalist that remained by the truck. He nodded before slamming the door to the truck.

As the engine kicked into gear and the truck began to drive away, the Lieutenant turned to Tahno once more.

"Amon wants you to visit the prison," the Lieutenant told him. "He wants you to talk to the benders, try to make them see it our way. Like you did."

Tahno nodded. "Yes, sir."

The Lieutenant nodded and walked away. Tahno tried to avoid the gleam in Asa's eye as he turned back toward the other equalists.

_None of those men will join us, _he thought to himself, and he knew it was true. They were like Tahno; they wouldn't join unless there was something in it for them. Why Amon wanted an army of cheaters and criminals, though, Tahno couldn't begin to understand.

**A/N: Finally some equalist!Tahno. Sorry this update took so long, but I had literally the hardest time getting this chapter out, and I'm not even really happy with how it turned out, but I couldn't look at it anymore so it is what it is. Told you guys I was gonna have a hard time with this one lol. The good news, though, is that half of the reason I had such a hard time with this was because there was another part of the story that just like sitting at the back of my brain, and after the last chapter it was just like bugging the shit out of me, so I had to write it before it slipped away. So there's an entire future chapter written already, so when the time comes that'll be a quickie update. I don't actually know if anyone was wondering where this story fits in the actual timeline of the series, but I want to keep the story as canon as possible (although there will be something at the end that I'm 99.999% positive won't be happening in the finale), so next chapter there will be some clarification as to where we are in context with the canon (And the beginning of this chapter will be continued in the next chapter. If there's any confusion, basically the entire chapter is flashback. And I know I'm not giving any of you credit, I'm sure you all figured that out, but I felt compelled to explain just in case). Also, there will be airbabies, so get ready for that. Thanks for reading, and feel free to review! :)**


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